Exclusive Familia Residents' Mix & Interview

Familia celebrate their fourth anniversary this Saturday, looking back over almost half a decade of percussive house grooves. Topping the birthday billing is Paul Ritch, no stranger to labels including Drumcode, SCI+TEC, Saved, Cocoon, Soma and Bpitch Control, playing a special three hour set, alongside Frankfurt's Felix Kröcher, who recently revealed to us his current, deadliest tracks.

The spotlight also shines, however, on the party's two residents Ben Grunnell and Fabio Ferro. Having been involved for two and three years respectively, they're responsbile for helping hook the night's loyal following, carrying Familia's sound from Ibiza to Amsterdam while supporting everyone from The Advent to Matthias Tanzmann.

As a present to Familia's fans, the duo recorded this exclusive mix together and spoke to us about their musical journey, as part of the party and its associated label and beyond. Interviews below the mix.

Buy ticket and get further info on the party here.

BEN GRUNNELL INTERVIEW

Hi Ben, can you tell us how you became a resident at Familia?

The summer before I became a resident I had started to make real headway with my productions, and had a few hits which picked up some global support. The opportunity to come and play for Familia opened up after this, and I instantly felt a synergy not only with the night as a whole, but Fabio Ferro, Familia’s other terrific resident, and Nick, Familia’s amazing owner and promotor. The invitation to become a resident was extended relatively quickly, and everything just fell into place very organically.

This year was your second anniversary as a resident. What have been some of the highlights, both in terms of your own sets and in terms of guests?

Generally, the greatest highlight has been seeing the brand grow exponentially and develop a true following, whilst being made to feel an important member of the team. We’ve had some great nights, the Moon Harbour showcase springs to mind, as well as our annual birthdays, but in honesty the brand has grown to the point where each month is becoming a stand out party. I particularly enjoy long warm-up sets and handing over to my friend and fellow resident Fabio Ferro, as we always try our best to deliver the true Familia sound to our audience.

Familia held a party at ADE this year. How was that? Is a Dutch audience noticeably different from your usual London home crowd? Did you manage to do any networking as well?

ADE was great! You could really feel that the audience was equally made up of the local scene and music-savvy internationals jetting in for the week, so it certainly made you feel as a DJ that you had to be on your toes. Unfortunately, it was only a flying visit for me this year so I didn’t have a chance to personally network too much, but it was a fantastic step for Familia to plant its flag in ADE soil, and the feedback has been fantastic.

You're the top selling artist on Familia Recordings, which seems to have opened a number of other doors such as Knee Deep in Sound. What are some other labels that you respect and would like to release on?

There are likely too many labels for me to list! As I’ve gotten a little older, I’ve come to realise that it’s important to write music fundamentally for yourself. I’m not the kind of guy who says, ‘Right, I want to write a track for this label or that label….' I simply write for myself and when I am happy with my music if certain labels are also happy with it then great!

What else do you have coming up?

I have several remixes I’m working on, which I need to keep under wraps for the time being. In the New Year I suspect I will start to write new original material, and would love to put out another record on Familia’s label. It feels great to be playing for the party every month and contributing my production work to the brand’s success. Long may it continue!

FABIO FERRO INTERVIEW

Hi Fabio, can you tell us how you became a resident at Familia? Have you been involved with the party since the beginning?

A good friend of mine from my city, Angelo, who is currently living in London and follows Familia’s parties, recommended me to Nick, the main promoter. He was intrigued by my background, so gave me the chance to play at Familia in June, August and October. After that, his curiosity turned into certainty and I have been resident for three years now

You’re playing an extended set this Saturday. Does this mean that you're preparing in a different way to normal? What are three tracks that you'll play this time you that you wouldn't normally get away with?

I always like to bring something special in my sets, no set I play at Familia is ever the same. I spend many hours a day going through promos, buying music and, of course, doing my own edits. I just play what I feel in the night, creating a connection with the crowd. Actually there is Roberto Capuano’s remix of my track 'Phases', which was released last week on Familia label, Sinisa Tamamovic’s track 'Wrong Call' released on Mindshake Records and the Spartaque remix of Alberto Ruiz’s track 'Five' on Sbert Records.

You played Carl Cox's Music is Revolution twice in its final season this year. What was the atmosphere like in Space with the closing looming over it? Did you get to hang out with Carl or Pepe during this emotional period?

Every artist would have wanted to be part of this magic season! I was honored to have been part of Carl Cox’s Music Is Revolution, the atmosphere was a mix of emotions that is difficult to describe if you where not there. I can assure you that it was unique and epic!

Familia also did a party at Sankey's Ibiza. How was it playing there?

I loved playing for Familia at Sankey's Ibiza, I think that for us it was a new beginning point. It was fantastic to see Familia on the island for the first time and an achievement for us after the constant triumphs in London!

You still live in Naples. What's the club scene like there and how does it compare to London? Would you ever move away from your hometown?

Actually, I grew up in Battipaglia, 100 kms from there, but Naples is my hometown artistically. It is an amazing city, where house/techno music’s history made its first steps in Italy and where I could luckily listen to the DJs who influenced me a lot. From Erick Morillo to Little Louie Vega, walking past Richie Hawtin, Marco Carola, Carl Cox and so on. We have our own party style and we make magic what is already fantastic. Together with London and Ibiza, we can call ourselves one of the lucky places that creates trends in the world.

I used to go clubbing with my elder brother, my guide and my current manager. I was only 15 and reliving those moments now from inside the booth is something I cannot describe. Once I graduated in high school, I moved to Milan where I obtained the title of Electronic Music Producer from the SAE Institute. After this experience I decided to move to London, where I spent three months and after that I travelled around to study how clubbing is experienced in different European countries. Then in the summer of 2016 I did my first 'temporada' in Ibiza.

Can you tell us about your other hat as a producer. How much of a grounding was going to SAE? How would you describe your sound and what releases do you have out currently or coming up?

The SAE for me was very important as a producer, it gave me the possibility to express myself 100% in my own tracks. Mainly, my sound is what I'd called groovy techno with great energy. It is defined by highly engaging bass lines and a strong tension. In terms of my latest releases, I had two EPs that came out at the end of October. The first one was on the legendary Markantonio’s label MKT Rec. The second one was on the Familia label with a bomb Remix from Roberto Capuano. Both have had a good response from the scene

What else do you have coming up?

It's a secret!